Knowledge: Something’s missing!
Knowledge is the awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation. It can refer to a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It can be implicit or explicit. In essence, there are two kinds of knowledge. One is what we call general, the other one and the most important is the specialized knowledge. If we take general knowledge for instance, no matter how great it is in quantity or of various domains it is but of little use in the accumulation of money. The faculties of many great universities possess, in aggregate and practically almost every form of knowledge known to civilization. But most of the professors have little or no money. Their focus is to specialize on teaching knowledge, but they do not specialize on the accumulation, combination, aggregation or the use of knowledge.
MONEY isn’t gonna get attracted towards KNOWLEDGE, unless it is well organized and directed intelligently, by means of practical PLANS OF ACTION, until the positive and definite end of accumulation of MONEY is reached. There’re millions of people who believe this false notion of “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER”. There’s nothing of this kind. To answer this the other way round, “KNOWLEDGE IS THE POTENTIAL POWER” only when it’s organized and put into practical plans of action and then directed towards it’s definite end.The reason behind this “absent link” in all systems of education presently known to civilization can be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students as to HOW KNOWLEDGE CAN BE ORGANIZED AFTER IT’S ACQUIRED.
People often make mistakes by assuming things and to draw conclusions at their own afterwards. You might think that just because HENRY FORD or many people like him had little “schooling”, he is not a man of “education”. Those who make this mistake do not know people like Henry Ford, neither do they know the understand the real meaning of the word “educate”. The word “educate” is derived from the Latin word “educo”, which means to educe, to draw out, to DEVELOP FROM WITHIN. An educated man is not, necessarily one who has an abundant general as well as specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed, organized and molded the faculties of his mind in such a way that he may acquire anything he wants, or it’s equivalent, without violating the rights of other people. To support this statement, I’ve an interesting story to share.
During the World war, a Chicago newspaper published certain editorials in which, among all other statements, Henry Ford was called “an ignorant pacifist.” Mr. Ford objected to these statements, and brought suit against the paper for libeling him. When the suit was tried in the courts, the attorneys for the paper pleaded for the justification, and placed Mr.Ford, himself, on the witness stand, for the purpose of proving to the jury that he was ignorant. The attorneys asked Mr. Ford various questions, which were all intended to prove, by his own evidence, that,while he might be in possession of great specialized knowledge pertaining to the manufacture of automobiles, he was nothing but an ignorant.
Finally, Mr. Ford became tired of this line of questioning , and in reply to a particularly offensive question, he leaned over, pointed his finger at the lawyer who had just asked the question, and said, “If I should really WANT to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that i have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer ANY question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me, WHY I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?”
This certainly was a logical reply, the lawyer was floored. Every person in the courtroom realized that it was not the answer of an ignorant man, but a man of EDUCATION.
Men sometimes suffer from “inferiority complexes”, because they are not men of education. Remember this, if you suffer from a feeling of inferiority, because your schooling has been limited. Thomas A. Edison had only three months of “schooling” during his entire lifetime. He did not lack education, neither did he die poor. Henry Ford had less than a sixth grade “schooling” but he has managed to do pretty well by himself, financially. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE is among the most plentiful, and the cheapest forms of service which may be had!
Knowledge has no value except that which can be gained from its application towards some worthy end. There is one reason why college degrees are not valued more highly. They represent nothing more than the miscellaneous knowledge.
